Tops Markets associate to compete among America's best baggers

by jmaloni

Press release

Tue, Feb 5th 2013 12:45 pm

Tops
Friendly Markets, a leading full-service grocery retailer in upstate
New York, announced that Gina Trainello, Buffalo resident, and
customer service lead at Tops Markets on Maple Road in Amherst, will
be competing in the National Grocers Association's "Best Bagger
Competition" on Feb. 10 at the Mirage Hotel and Casino in Las
Vegas.

Trainello took top honors at local and state bagging
competitions and now will compete nationally for a chance to take
home the National Grocers Association's "Best Bagger" honor.

"The
grocery bagging process is a critical part of the customers'
shopping trip," said Janet Perc, Tops Markets' director of
customer service. "It's the last experience shoppers have in our
stores and we want to make sure we're exceeding their expectations
and making their trip to Tops as convenient as possible. We are so
proud of Gina for the dedication she puts forth every day, and we're
rooting her on in the final rounds of the competition."

The
first of several qualifying competitions that Gina participated in
was held at her home store, as she competed to move on to the
district round within Tops. Each store held a bagging competition and
the winners from that round went on to compete in Tops' district
competition. One associate from each of Tops' 13 districts competed
to see who would represent Tops in the New York state. After winning
the district competition, Trainello moved on to the New York state
Best Bagger competition, hosted by Price Chopper in Slingerlands on
Nov. 13.

The
contestants were judged in two rounds on their speed, weight of bags,
how well the bags were packed and how many bags they used. Trainello
scored a perfect 100 percent in both rounds.

Trainello
will go on to represent New York at the National Grocers
Association's Best Bagger Contest in Las Vegas on Feb. 10, where
she will compete against approximately 24 participants representing
grocery retailers around the country. Only the top five scoring
participants will move on to the final round, and the winner of the
NGA Best Baggers competition will take home a prize of $10,000.

The
Best Bagger contestants will be required to use only three reusable
bags during the preliminary and final round of the competition.
Contestants must fulfill contest criteria to attain high scores, and
thus are bagging against themselves for points, not against each
other. Contestants will be judged on the following criteria: speed,
proper bag building technique, distribution of weight between bags,
style, attitude and appearance.

In
1987, the National Grocers Association held the first Best Bagger
Championship in Dallas. Since then, N.G.A. has been bringing the
country's finest baggers together to determine who is the best of the
best. This contest promotes exceptional customer service through
superior bagging.

Bagging
has been an important step for many supermarket employees who have
pursued long and rewarding careers in the grocery industry. Like so
many gateway jobs, bagger positions often face high turnover. The
bagging contest highlights the rewards of this position, and seeks to
limit that turnover while demonstrating the value of baggers to
customer service.

Tops
Markets LLC is headquartered in Williamsville and operates 155
full-service supermarkets - 150 company-owned and five franchise
locations under the Tops, Grand Union and Bryant's banners. For more
information about Tops Markets, visit the company's website atwww.topsmarkets.com.